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1.2 m minority voters in Karachi not registered

Islamabad: A total of 1.2 million minority voters in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi have not been registered for the upcoming general election and will not be able to exercise their franchise.

The matter of registering these voters was taken up by Amar Lal, the advisor to the Prime Minister on minority affairs, with Sindh province’s Election Commissioner Qamar-uz-Zaman on Monday.

Mr. Lal asked Mr. Zaman to register the minority voters of Karachi and other areas. Mr. Zaman, however, said the time to register voters has passed.

Mr. Zaman gave an assurance that the minority voters would be registered for the next election, Mr. Lal was quoted as saying by state-run APP news agency.

Mr. Lal said there are 1.2 million minority voters who have not been registered in Karachi city alone.

He also alleged that certain political parties were awarding tickets to members of minority communities for contesting polls from reserved seats after “taking money in the name of [collecting] party funds”.

He said such a practice would discourage middle class candidates from participating in the elections.

Meanwhile, in a move that could have significant implications for Pakistan’s upcoming general election, the parties of rivals Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have agreed on adjustments for certain constituencies in Karachi. — PTI

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